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Monday, February 13, 2012

Getting Up on My Soapbox: Chris Brown edition

I had intended to post today about a recipe I found on Pinterest, but something in my Facebook news feed got me fired up instead, so I'm going to take a break from the regularly scheduled programming to jump up on my soapboax.

Last night, Chris Brown performed at -- and actually won -- a Grammy. As almost everyone knows, a few years ago, the night before the Grammys, Brown beat his then-girlfriend, Rihanna during a vicious argument.

Now, personally, I didn't care for Brown's music before the incident, and I don't care for it now. And whether or not he deserves to be rewarded is a discussion for another day.

What I will say, though, is that there are some people who just do not understand the gravity of what he did, and have turned it into some sort of joke.

This morning, a friend posted this link on his Facebook page. Are these girls serious? Really? Because they find this person physically attractive, they would accept -- and in some cases -- welcome abuse?

Girls, this is not funny. This is not cute. What it is is disrespectful to the thousands of women (and men) who are living with abuse, or have gotten away from abuse, in their relationships. People have been permanantly scarred, physically and emotionally, and even died at the hands of people they loved. Your asinine tweets about how you would "let Chris Brown beat me" trivialize an important issue, and contribute to the cycle of abuse that plagues our society.

And honestly? I think that if Chris Brown, or anyone for that matter, were to actually beat you, you'd be singing a different tune. If you don't believe me, take some time to read the stories of women who have been in abusive relationships, and learn about the terror they experience at the hands of their significant others. Ask Rihanna. When her face was bruised and bleeding, I'm sure the last thing she was thinking was that her boyfriend is sexy.

As a society, we all have to work together to end domestic violence. And the first step is to educate girls, to teach them to respect themselves enough to stay away from abusers, no matter how handsome or charming they may be. Even if you think you're kidding, sending messages like these are telling abusers that it's okay to hurt others. Is that really what you want?